Brake for vehicles



ILA7 646 C. H. GILL BRAKE FOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 26.. 1921 lfatented Dec, 25, 1%23.

innate PATENT FFHQEO CHARLES H. GILL, OF CHICAGO, HILINOIS.

a 2:? FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed January 26, 1921. Serial No. 440,195.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. GILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of'Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Brake for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for overcoming the momentum of vehiclesand for wholly or partially locking the wheels there of against rotation at the will of the operator. These devices are generally known as brakes and they exist in numerous forms but each, in so far as known to me, depends upon friction for restraining or looking the wheels or other moving part. Many of the existing brakes do not apply the friction directly to the wheels but to moving parts mechanically connected to the wheels and the restraining or locking of such parts restrain or look the wheels. In my invention, I rely upon pneumatic or hydraulic, but preferably pneumatic, resistance to furnish the restraining or looking power.

My invention has for its objects, first, to provide a pump adapted to compress a gas or liquid; second, to provide means for operatively connecting the said pump to those wheels which it is desired to control; third, to provide means for operatively disconnecting the said pump and the said wheels at will; fourth, to provide a valve controlling the size of the outlet from the said pump and thus controlling the degree of compression provided by the said pump; fifth, to provide means under the control of the operator for regulating the said valve at will; sixth, to provide an adjustable safety valve adapted to automatically prevent pressures in excess of a determined safety maximum; and, seventh, to provide means whereby the initial movement of the valve closing means will simultaneously actuate the means for operatively connecting the pump to the wheels and the final part of the movement of opening the valve will actuate the means for operatively disconnecting the pump from the wheels.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 is a sectional v1ew of my device taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2; Figure 2 is a front elevation and partly sectional view of the complete device; Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view of the valve in section, showing it partly closed; and Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

While it will be evident that-my lorake would be applicable to almost any type of vehicle, it is especially desirable for use upon autonobiles, and will be described as so applie Referring to the drawings, 11 designates the driven shaft of an automobile, leading from the speed changing gearing to the rear axle and 12 designates a rotor or drum loosely mounted upon the shaft 11 in such manner that the shaft 11 can rotate freely without rotating the drum or rotor 12. The rotor 12 is provided with two deep slots 13 in itstopposite sides and these slots 13 extend the full width of the rotor 12. Blades 14 are also the full width of the rotor 12 and are adapted to slide within the slots 13 but are normally forced partially out of the slots 13 by the pressure of spiral springs 15 which press the outer edges of the blades 14 against the inside of the pump casing 16. Both the rotor 12 and the blades 14 fit snugly against the sides of the casing 16.

The pump casing 16 is cylindrical in shape and somewhat greater in diameter than the rotor 12 so that an air space 17 is left between the casing 16 and the rotor 12 except at one point where the casing 16 is thickened so that it contacts with the surface of the rotor 12. This thicker portion of the casing 16 attains its thickness progressively and gradually, so that it forms a cam surface 18 which is adapted to force the blades 14 back within the slots 13 against the resistance of the springs 15 and thus permit the blades to pass the contacting point of the casing 16 when the rotor 12 is being rotated. Beyond the contacting point 19 the casing 16 abruptly reduces to its normal thickness, so the blades 14 are immediately forced out of the slots 13 b the springs 15 until they contact again wit the casing 16 after that point is passed by each of the blades 14in their rotation. An air inlet opening 20 passes through the thick portion of the casing 16 and opens into the space 17 from the abrupt side of the thickened portion of the casing 16, permitting free entry of air into the space 17.

The rotor 12 is adapted to'rotate' in only one direction, as indicated by the arrows between the periphery of the rotor 12 and the inside perip e of the casing 16 at points of the norma thickness of the casing 16. A guide bar 22 crosses the outlet opening 21. being either secured to or made integral with the casing 16, and following the cam contour of that portion of the casing 16 so that the blades 14 will ride over that guide bar 22 in crossing the'o ening 21 and be progressively pressed urther within the slots 13 thereby.

A cylindrical pipe 23 has a diameter sufii- I ciently in excess of the largest dimension of the outlet opening 21 to allow the pipe 23 to fit over the exterior of the opening 21 without decreasing the size of the air passage ofiered by that opening 21. The pipe 23 has a flange 24 which is secured in any air tight manner to the casing 16'. A conical opening 25 in one wall'of the pipe 23 is normally filled by a conical stopper 26 which is held in place by the pressure of a spiral spring 27 which surrounds a threaded screw 28 and presses one of its ends against the stopper 26 and the other end a ainst a fixed collar 29 on the screw 28 he screw 28 passes through an internally threaded opening in a bracket 30 secured to the pipe 23 by screws 31. The screw 28 engages its threads with the internal I threads in the opening in the bracket 30 and is provided with a milled head 32 for turning when making adjustments of the pressure of the spring 27.=. The end of the screw 28 opposite from that having the milled head 32 ts loosely into a circular depression 33 in t e conical stopper 26'.

'llhe pipe 23'opens, at its end opposite to the casing 16, into a cylindrical valve casing 34 having an outlet opening 35 of "like diameter to the pipe 23 and directly opposite the pipe 23. A valve core 36 is also of 6 lindrical shape and fits snugly -with'in t e valve casing 34 having hu s 37 pro- ]ecting from its sides at the center and passing through the valve casing 34 to form pivots for the partial rotation of the valve core 36 within the valve casing 34 An opening 38 extends through the valve core -36 and is of like diameter to the pipe 23 and to the outlet opening 35 in the valve casing 34, so that when the'valvecore 36 is turned withinthe casing 34 so that the opposite ends of this opening 38 are in juxtaposition with the pipe 23 and the out passage for air throughthe valve and no tendency to compression.

An operating lever 39 is secured at one rof its ends to one of the hubs 37 of the valve core 36 in such manner that movement secured to the floor 41 of the automobile by means of screws 42 and projects in the path of the lever 39 so as to prevent its movement beyond that point in one direction. The lever 39 passes through a slot 43 in the floor 41 and extends upwardly to a position within easy grasp of the driver. A hand grip released and spring tensioned detent 44 of any ofthe well known/types is provided in connection with the lever .39 to maintain that lever in any position it is left in by the driver.

When the lever 39 is resting against the stop 40, the valve core 36 is in such posi tion that the opening 38 therethrough is in juxtaposition with the openings 21 and 35 and there is an entirely uninterrupted passage for the air therethrough.

An arm 45 is also secured to the hub 37 at one of its ends and is disposed at approximately right angles to the lever 39. At the opposite end of the arm 45 another arm 46 is hingealoly connected by means of a pin 47 and the arm 46 terminates in a forked portion 48 with the arms of the fork disposed upon opposite sides of the shaft 11'. The lower extremities of the forked portion 48 are so beveled as to form wed e or cam surfaces 49 adapted to slide a utch member 50 along the-shaft 11 at any downward movement of the arm 46. A collar 51 is fixed upon the shaft '11 so that the forks of the arm 46 slide against it. The

clutch member 50 is feathered upon the shaft 11 so as to be slidable thereon and rotatable therewith and is normally urged toward the I collar 51 by a spiral spring 52 which surrounds the shaft 11 and is compressed between the clutch member 50 and a second clutch member 53. The clutch member 53 is fixed upon asleeve 54 which surrounds the shaft .11 and which is an extension of 'the rotor 12, acting as a hub thereof and passing through an opening in the pump casing 16.

When the automobile is in motion, whether moving forward. or backward, the shaft 11 is rotating in the same direction at all. times. en' the lever 39 is resting against the stop 40, there is no braking action and the shaft 11 rotates without operating the pump. When the lever '39 is moved'to the left (Figure 1) the valve core 36 is rotated a similar degree and the size of the clear air passage through that valve aeraeee is correspondingly decreased. At the same time, the arm 45 is moved so that its outer end swwps in a downward direction and forces the pivoted arm at downwardly. The cam surfaces 49 of the forked portion 48 press the clutch member 50 against the resistance of the spring 52 and slide that clutch member 50 along the shaft 11 and into enagement with the clutch member 53 on the rotor 12. This causes the rotor 12 to rotate with the shaft 11 and to pump the air taken in through the inlet opening 20 throu h the outlet opening 21, the pipe 23 and t e openings 38 and 35. In propor tion as the valve core 36 is further rotated and the passage for the air further restricted the air will become com ressed in the space 17 and the pipe 23 and will ofi'er increas ing resistance to the rotation of the rotor 12. Should the valve core 36 he so rotated as to entirely close the air passage, the shaft 11 would be locked against further rotation as soon as the resistance'to the further compression of the air became equal to the force exerted to rotate the shaft 11.

Thus, any degree of braking efiect desired may be obtained by moving the lever 39 to the correct distance to adjust the valve accordingly. To guard against subjecting the mechanism to strains it could not with- I stand, a safety valve is provided and this can be adjusted to become operative at any degree of pressure within wide limits by turning the milled head 32 of the screw 28 and thus increasing or decreasing the tension of the spring 27 against the conical stopper 26. enever the pressure of the air within becomes greater than the resistance of the spring 27 to further compression the stopper 26 will be lifted and air allowed to escape to relieve the pressure. 1

It will be understood that an form of air pump orcompressor might e used in connection with this device, the one illustra and described being merely a convenient form to describe in connection with this specification. ll make no claim to any specific form of compressor or air valve as my invention.

l c aim: In a vehicle brake, the combination of a cylinder fashioned with a cam surface upon a section of its inner curved wall, a

core rotatable within said cylinder, recesses within said core, springs in said recesses, pp blades adap to slide into and out of said recesses and normally urged outwardly into contact with the inner curved wall of said cylinder by said springs, an

"inlet valve, an outlet valve, a compression safety valve situated between said cylinder and said outlet valve, means under the control of the o rator for opening or closing the said out et valve at will, and means operated by said last named means for operatively connecting the said core to a v driven shaft whenever the said outlet valve is in any other than-a fully opened s n and for operatively disconnecting the said core from the said driven shaft whenever the said outlet valve is in ition. 

